Reaching for the Stars
by Isemay
Summary: "Their dreams would separate them as much as it united them." / Human AU; AmeViet one-shot.


_Star light, star bright_

_The first star I see tonight_

_I wish I may, I wish I might_

_Have the wish I wish tonight_

**X**

* * *

When she was still wrapped up in the enchantment of naivety, she wished on a shooting star. The scientists called it a meteor shower. Her brother said they were angels.

They stood in awe, hand-in-hand, as the white beams of light streaked across the star-studded night sky. In that moment, she could truly believe that they were angels- burning with white fire in a race in the dark.

"Quick! Make a wish!" Her brother let go of her hand, clasping his hands together and squeezing his eyes tight. She followed suit, rather reluctant to take her eyes off of the celestial wonder above her.

She wished an infinitely large wish. The wish she held closest to heart. A wish that was as far as the angels hurtling through space. She wished to see the pock-marked, dusty silver moon. To see the sparkling city lights, vast deserts, and swirling white clouds of the Earth below her. To see the great, glittering constellations for miles around her and a rainbow of nebulae. She wished to travel through the galaxy.

**X**

He'd always been a dreamer. He still was. When his father told him that the sun was a star, he ran outside as it began to sink below the horizon. His mother had once said that if he wished upon a star, his wish would come true, but he'd thought that the stars were far too small to grant him his real wish. If he were to wish on the biggest star though, surely his greatest wish of all would come true.

He threw his arms wide, facing the setting sun. He wished to look at the world spread out below, all of its shining cities, rolling lands, and open seas. To chase the last rays of sunlight as it fled to the ends of the Earth. To run his fingers through cotton candy clouds. He wished to fly through every color of the sky.

**X**

Lien may have had a lofty dream, but no one who knew her doubted she could reach it. She strove to be the best at everything she did and would not stop until she was satisfied with her results. She was efficient and took everything seriously. Her entire week was scheduled to fit in everything in her life: family, school, sports, and friends, down nearly to the hour. Many assumed it was simply apart of her personality, but it all came down to her passion: space. No matter how busy she was, she always found time to set everything aside for a little while and study the night skies. The planets and the moon fascinated her, but nothing captivated her more than the stars.

Entering university had hardly been an obstacle. For Lien it was a stepping stone necessary to achieve her goal. It was a university that had a specific, and prestigious, department for aviation. She'd known from the moment she stepped on campus for the tour that this was her next step. Before she began her first term, her brother took her to NASA as her graduation gift and the visit fuelled the fire of determination in her. She bought only a pen as a souvenir. It was nothing too extraordinary. There was an image of the galaxy, all hues of blues and violets, coated in a dusting of stars. As she left, she promised in her heart that she would return.

**X**

Alfred was a lovable guy. Annoying? Sometimes. Obnoxious? Usually. But he had a huge heart that somehow managed to squeeze everyone in. He never really seemed quite there though. His head was always up in the clouds

Hardly anyone took Alfred seriously when he first told them that he wanted to be a pilot. They assumed it was another of his many ridiculous plots to somehow become a hero. But this was one of the few things he took very seriously. He may have been immature, but with that came a childish stubbornness to reach his goal not matter the odds. His energetic and impulsive nature made it difficult for him to focus on his studies, but his dream gave him the determination he needed to concentrate.

He shocked nearly everyone when he was accepted into one of the most distinguished universities in the country. They didn't doubt his intelligence, his grades in math and science had already proved that, but to think that _Alfred_ was going to attend an Ivy League school was shocking to say the least. He knew he deserved it though. He'd worked hard to prove himself and at last his prayers were being answered. Alfred Jones was going to college.

**X**

* * *

"What's that cute guy's name? The one you're always doing group projects with?"

Lien sighed. She'd known she was going to regret letting her friend go up with her the to astronomical observatory. She'd only agreed because Mei's puppy dog pout was hard to resist.

"Please can you be quiet for just a moment? I want to finish this."

"Sorry."

Lien put her eye back to the telescope and continued charting the stars on the large sheet of paper before her.

"Does he have a girlfriend?"

"How am I supposed to know?" She tossed her pen down with a frustrated sigh. She wasn't going to get anywhere with her friend around. She loved Mei, but she never seemed to run out of questions. Shaking her head, she started packing up and shoved her things in her bag.

"You're done? That was fast." Mei hopped off the table and Lien shot her a half-hearted glare.

"No, I just can't concentrate with you talking my head off." Mei gave her an apologetic smile and she quickly forgave her. Generally she didn't really care for people, but she had a soft spot for the younger girl.

They left, Mei still asking about 'that cute guy' and Lien trying to tell her that she wasn't going to play matchmaker. The pen lay forgotten on the table.

**X**

Alfred's favorite place, next to the cafeteria, was the astronomical observatory. Hardly anyone used it during the day, so he'd go up there to do watercolor paintings. He wasn't particularly good at art, but he had a knack for creating just the right colors to paint the sky and the windows of the observatory gave him the perfect view.

As he was about to set down his materials on the table, he spotted the pen. It was a bit worn, but it felt comfortable in his hand which was often too big for normal pencils. There was a photograph of space printed on it and he wished for a moment that he could paint the night sky. He didn't like using images and preferred to look directly at what he was painting, but of course it was much too dark to paint at night. Shrugging, he put the pen in his pencil case and got out his brushes.

.

Alfred loved that pen for some reason. It just felt right and every time he looked at it, he imagined how it would feel to fly a plane through the nighttime sky, surrounded by countless stars and clouds illuminated by the moon. So he couldn't help feel a bit dismal when he lost it. Kiku had been helping him with his chemistry homework during lunch while he wolfed down a couple of hamburgers. He had scribbled down his answers- his teacher would call it chicken scratch later- and quickly stuffed his things into his backpack so he wouldn't be late for class. He left the pen on the cafeteria table.

**X**

Lien knew it was senseless to get upset over losing something as trivial as her pen. She didn't make a habit of getting attached to things she might lose easily, but it was one of the few material things she was attached too. Mei had helped her search up and down for her pen, but to no avail. Two months later she'd nearly forgotten about it until she spotted it on the cafeteria table across from her. Mei had given her an odd look when she sprang up to get it before someone else did. She wrinkled her nose when she picked it up. It was greasy and a little more worn than she remembered. The thought someone had been using it made her feel more annoyed that it probably should have. She shrugged and went back to ask her friend for tissue and hand sanitizer. Inwardly she decided to keep the pen on her at all times.

.

Lien took her health very seriously; it would take more than good grades to become an astronaut. There were physical exams that applicants had to take before they were accepted and she made sure to keep her body in the best shape possible. Throughout high school she'd played for the volleyball team, but now she exercised on her own. She jogged around campus whenever she could and occasionally she'd drag Mei along with her. Today, though, she was alone.

There was a group of boys playing football on the field as she jogged past. Suddenly she got the uncomfortable feeling she was being watched and when she glanced over at the group again, she caught the gaze of a tall blonde boy she faintly recognized from her aerodynamics and physics classes. He was a freshman, as optimistic and animated as they come, with eyes blue as the sky. They'd never spoken before. She looked away and nearly lost her footing as she sped up her pace. She couldn't hear the sound of the pen drop over the sound of her music.

**X**

Alfred watched the girl grow further into the distance. He recognized her from his classes so he'd tried to wave, but she looked away before she saw him. There was something striking about her. He couldn't quite place his finger on it.

He and his friends played for another hour before some of them headed off to their evening classes while others went out for dinner. As Alfred began walking down the asphalt path, he noticed something lying on the ground. It didn't take him long to recognize the pen. He quickly bent down and brushed it off, feeling an odd sense of relief. Although the pen hadn't been his to begin with, he'd become attached to it and losing it had been slightly vexing. He blinked though as he looked at the familiar photo of the swirling galaxy. He realized why the girl had been so striking. Her hair, dark and lustrous, had reminded him of the midnight sky.

.

Alfred doodled absentmindedly on the corner of his test paper. He'd learned to mostly grow out of the habit after he came to university since the professors didn't appreciate doodle humor. Math was the only exception. He sketched a WWII fighter plane against a sky of black clouds and stars. He was just about to put his finishing touches on the design when the timer went off, signalling the end of the test. He jumped a little and quickly straightened his papers. He stood up, wincing as he bumped his knee against the desk, and hurried over to turn his test in. The pen clattered to the floor.

**X**

Lien glimpsed the same tall blonde as she headed towards her math class. He grinned and waved, but she couldn't tell if it was directed at her or someone behind her so she ignored him and continued on to class.

She squinted when she saw a dark object lying on the floor as she walked up the aisle and blinked in surprise. She'd thought she'd lost the pen for sure after she went jogging a couple weeks ago. She quickly plucked it off the floor and slid into her usual seat. She felt an odd sense of relief as she wiped it down with a sanitary wipe.

As she set out her materials for the test, someone tapped her shoulder. Startled, she looked behind her to see the Spanish exchange student- Anthony?- smiling sheepishly.

"Hey, sorry, I forgot my pencil case. Can I borrow a pen?" His green eyes looked at her imploringly, glancing anxiously at the professor who was preparing to hand out the test. Reluctantly, she passed him her pen without really thinking about which pen she gave him.

"Just don't forget to give it back," she warned as she got out another pen for herself.

"Thanks. You're a life-saver," he whispered as the professor announced that the test was about to begin and they should all be quiet.

They both forgot. It wasn't until next class that she realized he still had her pen.

**X**

"Hey! That's my pen!" Alfred's tone was incredulous rather than accusing, but it still made Antonio jump. The two were studying together in the study hall for their upcoming exam and they had just started getting their materials out. He looked down at the pen in his hand.

"Really? I borrowed it from someone awhile back, but I forgot who…" This tended to happen with Antonio. It was a wonder he did so well in university with all of the other things he forgot. He shrugged and passed it back to his friend. "Here you go."

Alfred smiled a bit sheepishly and laughed. "Sorry for yelling. I've been looking all over for it."

"It's just a pen." Antonio looked at him funny.

"I think it's lucky. It keeps turning up again whenever I lose it."

"Better be careful. It might be possessed or something." The Spaniard's sun-tanned face was suddenly serious. He was quite superstitious as Alfred had come to know.

"Nah, I don't think it's anything like that." The pen fit comfortably in his hand.

**X**

Lien sat with her ear buds tucked snugly in her ears to block out the quiet murmur of the library. She hadn't expected the tables to be so full tonight, but it was better than attempting to study in the dorm. She poured over her notes, armed with neon highlighters and several coloured pens. She was so immersed that she didn't notice the tall blonde who stopped in front of her until he waved his hand in front of her face. She glanced up in irritation, recognizing the same boy from her her classes. She seemed to be seeing more of him lately.

"Yes?" She pulled out an ear bud.

"Sorry there aren't any more tables left, so I was wondering if I could sit here." He grinned a dazzling smile and she wondered offhandedly if he had ever considered modelling for one of those teeth whitening commercials. She frowned and glanced around the library. Every spot was taken.

Reluctantly she looked back at him. "Okay."

She put the ear bud back firmly in place to let him know that she wouldn't have him disturbing her studies. She heard a muffled 'thanks' over Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

As she attempted to refocus on the textbook in front of her, she glimpsed something out of the corner of her eye. She sat up when she she saw the pen in his hand.

"My pen!" Her voice sounded disconnected and distant over her music, but she must've spoken much louder than she thought when she felt a mixture of curious and annoyed stares from around the library. She felt her ears burn. Alfred's brows knit together in confusion.

"No, it's mine." He'd almost forgotten that the pen had never really been his in the first place.

She tugged her ear buds out and glared at him. Somewhere in her mind she felt foolish arguing with a stranger over a pen. "My initials are on the bottom. See?"

Oh those had been initials? He turned it over to look at the two letters, L and N, inscribed on the bottom. "I thought that was the brandname."

"Well it's not. Can I please have my pen back?" She held her hand out impatiently, but he grinned teasingly.

"If I guess your name right can I keep it?"

"No."

"Lucy? Nah, you don't look like a Lucy. Lily?" He was still grinning cheekily. He was sure he'd heard her name before, but all he could remember was her regal, almost proud, look, sharp intelligent eyes and her braided hair that seemed to glint with starshine. "I got it! Lin, right?"

"Lien." She says, forcefully almost as a defense. As though it will satisfy his curiosity and he will leave her alone. "Lien Nguyen."

"Lien," he repeats carefully. The name rolling and drifting away before he smiles again. "I'm Alfred."

**X**

* * *

Oddly, Alfred nearly forgot about the pen. Lien didn't, couldn't, forget about him though. He wouldn't let her. From that day forward he continued to make an appearance in her life and it was hardly by accident. At first Lien found it annoying. She preferred a more solitary life. Mei already pushed the limits of her social tolerance at times and she didn't want this loud, obnoxious American squeezing himself in as well. But once he told her of his dreams, not so different from her own, she couldn't help but feel a grudging admiration for him. Every time he spoke of the things he was passionate about, she couldn't help but smile at the way his eyes lit up behind the frames perched on his high bridged nose and the way his hands waved about enthusiastically. Little by little he made his way into her life.

It had started out of pure curiosity, but Alfred couldn't deny that at some point he fell in love with Lien. There was something alluring about her that captivated him. Despite her brusque, serious nature there was a certain childlike warmth deep within her that he only glimpsed when she talked about the stars and galaxies beyond. He soon found that she could talk for hours about the space she loved so much. He would've liked to believe that they could fall in love like any other college couple and sometimes, he reluctantly admitted, he fantasized a life of them together. They'd bicker as a married couple just as they did now. She would scold him for being so careless and he'd fluster her with his compliments. A part of him knew it could only ever be a dream. Lien was up further in the clouds than he ever imagined himself being. She was made for the eternal night, wrapped up in stars.

.

And yet neither one of them were willing to be the first to part.

.

Against all her of her logical reasoning, Lien was still a dreamer. She knew she was in love with Alfred and she dreamed of a life with him as much as he did. But she couldn't give up her greatest wish of all for him. So when she her application to NASA was accepted, she hardly hesitated to begin preparing for her move to D.C. When she told him, she'd expected him to be hurt, but he only grinned and gave her a happy kiss that left her head spinning with stars. He asked her to wait for him. With a thousand shooting stars still in her mind, she promised she would without knowing what he meant. She gave him the pen before she left saying that he needed it more than she did. To Alfred, her smile then was more beautiful than the sky they loved so much.

.

It wasn't long after his graduation that he proposed to her with the setting sun as their witness. It was childish really; they both knew how impractical it was. Their dreams would separate them as much as it united them. There would be hardly any time for marriage, much less family. Had it been anyone else, it would likely not have worked out, but Lien was as much of a believer in fairy tales as Alfred was. They would make it work and distance would only make every moment together that much more precious. She said yes.

**X**

* * *

_10 Years Later_

_._

_._

_._

Lien had done it. She'd finally reached her goal and been accepted among the thousands of applicants to be an astronaut aboard the _Endeavor_. After years of training, she would finally live her dream. And yet…

She looked up at the tall, broad-shouldered man beside her. His straw blonde cowlick sticking up stubbornly and his sky blue eyes fixed straight ahead. He looked more apprehensive than her. She smiled and took his sweaty hand in hers. At some point, this energetic, passionate man had become apart of her dream. No matter how far she ventured, she knew she would always return to this sky they shared. He turned to her and smiled back nervously before he seemed to remember something.

"Oh yeah." He reached into his blazer and pulled out the pen. It was quite worn now, the galaxy washed out and scuffed. They'd lost count of how many times they'd passed it back and forth. He tucked it snuggly into her coat pocket and attempted to recover his signature grin without much luck. He took a shaky breath. "Lien, I-"

She stood on tip-toe and kissed him mid-sentence. "Wait for me."

**X**

Alfred swallowed thickly as he watched her board the shuttle from the screen. He was proud of her; he truly was. She had finally achieved her dream and she was going further than he had ever gone. He had never seen her eyes so alight before. He closed his eyes and prayed when the engines burst to life and smoke and flame billowed as the shuttle lifted off. He prayed and prayed even after the ship had disappeared from sight. Yes, he would wait for her.

He would wait an eternity for her.

* * *

_But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?_

_Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day_

_And head back to the Milky Way?_

_And tell me, did Venus blow your mind?_

_Was it everything you wanted to find?_

_And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?_

"Drops of Jupiter" by Train

* * *

**A/N:** And once again I have set aside schoolwork (because who needs their GPA? pfft) to work on more important things like fanfiction!

So this idea originally came from an AU post I saw on Tumblr (unfortunately I couldn't find it again...) about someone losing their pen and someone else finding it and it being passed back and forth until one day they meet and argue about whose pen it is. I really liked that idea and it became the basis for this story, but then I added a lot of other things and it just kind of became a big mixture of things ^^; The writing style is inspired by some really beautiful 'fics I've read recently, but it alternates back and forth between this new style and my normal style. The ending was also sort of inspired by the drama "My Love from Another Star" (I know it came out last year, but I still have major feels for it)

Also I don't pretend to know a lot about becoming an astronaut ^^; I did do a bit of research and it does take a long time to prepare for and it is extremely difficult to get accepted into. They also do have rigorous health tests as Lien mentioned.

I also read that "Lien Chung" is the popular name used for Vietnam, but some Vietnamese fans commented that it sounds very Chinese and suggested that the last name "Nguyen" would suit her better so I went with that :) I only wish I could have done her character more justice!

I hope you enjoyed this and I'd love to hear what you think!


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